American Crack Up

“I spent much of my life in Louisiana,” began a financial analyst we met in Paris. “People there have a very different way of looking at things.”

Our friend was about to explain why he thought America would crack apart in the years ahead.

We pass on his comments without prejudice or comment. But we preface them as follows:

In 1947, India and Pakistan left behind British rule and separated. Though they had lived together more or less peacefully for hundreds of years, the prospect of self-government seemed to inflame the differences between Muslims and Hindus.

In the partition that resulted, some 14 million people were displaced, with as many as 2 million killed in violent confrontations.

“What was that all about?” Westerners wondered.

“There are some issues you just can’t compromise on,” continued our friend. He had left Louisiana many years ago, and lived in New York and Los Angeles, as well as in many places overseas.

In 1 day, this gentleman almost lost his entire $1,000,000 life savings. But by using his “secret key” technique… he saved all his money… generated a fortune… and got to retire at 42, with more security than he’d ever imagined.

The most surprising part? His “secret key” wasn’t a one-time tactic… he’s been quietly using it for the past 26 years to make millions.

Great Divider

“I mean, Trump is a great divider. People hate him or they love him. It seems to be mostly a matter of class.

“If you went to college and live in a large metropolitan area – or on the coasts – you probably find him repulsive.

“You don’t really know whether his policies will do any good or not. You don’t know whether they are any better than those of Obama or Hillary. You don’t even know what the policies actually are… or how they are implemented.

“All you have to go on is what you see on TV, tweets from the White House, and a few newspaper articles by people who are writing for you…

“And you’re going to hate Trump because you think he stands for values that you think are stupid or evil.

“In practice, he’s done three real things: he’s cut taxes, increased military spending, and begun a war on trade. If you’re an educated person, you’re probably going to think these are pretty dumb things.

“But they’re not that dumb. And if someone else had done them – someone who spoke with a better accent and explained calmly and rationally what he was doing – they wouldn’t have been that terrible.

“Nobody knows what tax rates should be… or military spending… or how trade deals should be negotiated.

“But Trump is a divider. He’s a fighter. He has his people: his fans, his base, his aides, his straight men, and his cronies. Everybody else is an enemy.

“So even when the substance of what he is doing is not that outrageous, about half the country can’t stand him.

As soon as August 16, China’s opening the largest factory in world history.

Its sole purpose is producing $332 billion worth of this high-tech device – the same device that’s set to become the main energy source of the 21st century.

To create all these devices, China needs an enormous amount of raw materials – as much as 1,073x the world’s current stockpile – every single year. So the companies who supply these materials to China are about to see a massive surge in demand.

Non-Negotiable

“And it gets worse when the issues are “non-negotiable.” I think abortion is one of those issues.

“If Trump gets the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade… a lot of people – those people on the coasts who can’t stand Trump anyway – are going to revolt.

“Again, it’s not an economic or a practical issue. With new drugs, Roe v. Wade probably doesn’t matter so much. In today’s world, women don’t have to have babies unless they want to have them. But it’s a cultural, class thing.

“If you’re an Episcopalian, you’re not likely to be a Trump supporter. If you graduated from college and earn more than $100,000 a year, you’re likely to think Trump is an embarrassment. And if you’ve lived overseas… the odds are extremely high that you’re going to detest him.

“I’ve been at parties in Paris where people – Americans – have come up to me and immediately started ranting and raving about how awful Trump is. These were people I hadn’t met before. But they were so sure I was against Trump, they just opened up.

“I tell them I think Trump may not be so bad, and they look at me like I’m the Devil himself. They’ve never met anyone who wasn’t anti-Trump.

“But if you go to the Southern Baptists – who earn less than $100,000 a year… who live in Abilene or Fort Wayne… who never went to college and don’t have passports – you’ll get an entirely different attitude. He’s their hero.

“They practically worship him. He can do no wrong. And when he does something they don’t understand, they think he has some clever plan… some trick up his sleeve. They see him as their savior. And they regard any attacks on him as fake news.

“It’s class and culture. Two different attitudes. And no middle ground. No room for mutual respect or compromise. They are beyond logic. Beyond reason. Like abortion. Or slavery.

California Confrontation

“And California is setting the stage for a whole new level of confrontation. In November, voters will decide if they want to break the state into three new states.

“In itself, I doubt this will mean much. Most likely, the bill will be defeated. The measure on the ballot says Congress would have to approve it, and there’s no way that would ever happen.

“But that won’t be the end of it. California has nearly 40 million people. It’s the world’s fifth-largest economy. It’s not going to be willing to sit in the U.S. Senate as an equal alongside Wyoming and Delaware – which, between them, have less than two million people.

“California has no voice in the United Nations or other international bodies, even though it is larger and more powerful than all but China, Germany, Japan, and the U.S. itself. It has no army of its own, and no way to protect itself if it were invaded by the U.S.

“But like Brexit, I don’t think this Californian independence movement will go away. After November, the cat will be out of the bag. It won’t be easy to put it back in.

“Californian voters and politicians are not going to let themselves be pushed around by a big-mouth politician from Queens that they despise.

“And just wait until the economy goes sour… and the debts come due… and prices rise. There’s going to be a lot of unhappiness.

“And then, Donald Trump will still be the hero of the great unwashed… the untutored, untraveled masses in Flyover Country.

“But others are going to hold him responsible for their troubles. And the country is going to break apart.”

Regards,

Bill

Editor’s Note: Bill’s not the only one worried about a divided America. According to a recent Gallup poll, 77% of Americans believe the country is more divided than at any time since the Civil War. Palm Beach Letter editor Teeka Tiwari believes it’s all leading to something big…

He believes a second civil war in America is imminent. In fact, he believes it could start as early as July 11. But this war won’t be fought with guns and bombs. Here’s what it will look like.

MARKET INSIGHT: MANUFACTURING HEATS UP

By Joe Withrow, Head of Research, Bonner & Partners

Manufacturing in the U.S. has seen strong growth since the start of 2016…

That’s the story today as we chart the Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) Manufacturing Index from the start of 2016 through today.

This index monitors employment, production, inventories, new orders, and supplier deliveries based on ongoing surveys of more than 300 manufacturing firms.

As you can see, the ISM Manufacturing Index has increased 20% since the start of 2016 – representing strong growth in manufacturing in the United States. It currently reads 60.2.

Here at Bonner & Partners, we keep a close eye on this index. Along with 10 other key indicators, it is a critical component of Bill’s Doom Index.

Here’s why the ISM Manufacturing Index is significant…

An index reading of greater than 50 suggests that the U.S. economy is expanding – people are working… manufacturers are making things… suppliers are delivering things… and customers are buying things.

But an index reading of less than 50 suggests that the U.S. economy is contracting… and the gears of industry are slowing down. When that happens, historical data suggests that a recession is likely to follow.

We’ll continue to monitor data for Q2 as it becomes available. Then, we’ll be sure to give Diary readers a thorough update on our Doom Index.

– Joe Withrow

FEATURED READS

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Own .0000001 Empire State Building CoinsJeff Brown, Bill’s top technology analyst, recently returned from several cryptocurrency conferences in New York. There, he met with high-level executives and hedge fund managers. Here’s what they revealed about the future of cryptocurrencies…

MAILBAG

Is Bill “out of touch”? In the mailbag, some dear readers think so…

You should retire, as you are out of touch. The big reason we want a wall is to keep our society, customs, language, etc. We sure do not need to spend billions on migrants that cannot support themselves. And few have the skills we need.

– Richard R.

Bill is uninformed on the costs of illegal immigration. He is relying on emotion, not facts. I live in Texas. It costs legal Americans $650 billion. Illegal labor drives down low- and median-class skilled craft and unskilled wages. Free trade is different from fair trade. Why does the damn EU charge higher tariffs on American cars than we do on EU vehicles? Dude, you need to ask God for wisdom, not left-wing emotionalism. Immigration works when legal. Jesus warned about the men of lawlessness.

Perhaps Bill should reflect on the prisoner’s dilemma. Free trade principles only work if both parties are trustworthy. If one or both cheat, all bets are off.

– Ed A.

Bill, I understand your answer to be that win-win deals are only measured between individuals, because only they produce something that can be exchanged. Nations do not produce anything but wars, and they benefit only their corrupt elites through profiteering.

Then, as a demonstration that you are not on the side of the elite, you cite other dangers common citizens face at the hands of their national (now international) elites, such as monitoring and tracking – treating us as their digitally tagged cattle. You mean well, but offer no cure for our suffering through job losses to other countries. That is not to fault you. There is no cure for this until – and to the extent that – evil is defeated.

Nations do produce something – a service, which is the safeguarding of the common interests of their citizens. Some nations do this in a divinely inspired good manner, as the United States was designed to do at its inception; others in a less goodly manner. But all, even the United States, are corrupted by their Deep State elites, as you explain so well. None of the “isms” safeguard the good citizens from them.

– Bradley J.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

Is this Trump’s promised infrastructure boom?

President Trump campaigned on a promise of delivering a historic infrastructure program to the U.S. Most people are expecting new roads… bridges… and canals.

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